Choosing a heater for the house

Each house should have a heater that will save you from the cold on rainy summer days, and also warm all household members in early autumn before the start of the next heating season.

Such a device is also useful in the event of an emergency shutdown of heating in the middle of winter. The variety of models produced by manufacturers of household appliances confuses many buyers who do not know which heater is better to buy for the home.

To make an informed choice, it is necessary to study the market offer in full, understand the difference in the products offered for heating the house, evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of each type of heater.

back to index ↑

Determine the power of the heater

Apartment, cottage, cottage or maybe a garage? How many square meters are there? How often and for how long do you intend to turn on your acquisition? Is the building where the appliance will be located heated? The fact is that the area that it can heat directly depends on the power.

For one square meter of unheated space with good thermal insulation, at least 100 W is needed; but if you want to buy a heater at home so as not to freeze in severe frosts, then in a room of 20-25 sq.m. a unit of one and a half kilowatts will be enough.

To make an accurate calculation, you need to consider:

• temperature difference inside and outside the room;
• thermal insulation, number of windows;
• the location of the apartment;
• the number of people living in it;
• the material from which the floors and roof of the building are made;
• is it a new building or an old one;
• household appliances such as televisions and computers.

If there are two windows in a room or office, or one of the walls is external, then the heat consumption will definitely increase. Do not forget that the height of the ceilings also matters: the lower they are, the fewer the number of final power calculations will be.

back to index ↑

Types of heaters

Each heating device is good in its own way, but you need to choose the one that is best suited for your purposes. Someone needs to calmly work in warmth, someone wants to dry wallpaper and damp walls, someone's apartment is cold even with central heating batteries. All heaters have their pros and cons, but you should not buy a unit without knowing what it is actually intended for.

Features of the device of oil heaters

“Such radiators are not recommended for use in apartments where there are small children”

In appearance, oil heaters are very similar to conventional sectional central heating radiators. As a heat carrier in these household appliances, a special mineral oil is used, which heats up to a boiling point.

Models of oil heaters are available with a different number of sections, which allows you to choose a device of the desired power.Devices that are not equipped with a thermostat responsible for their automatic shutdown when the coolant is heated to a predetermined temperature can heat up to 100-120 degrees.

Touching a surface heated to such a temperature is fraught with burns. Therefore, such radiators are not recommended for use in apartments where there are small children. And in general, it is safer to operate a model with a thermostat. It is also convenient to use models equipped with an on timer that allows you to postpone the start of the heater for a certain time.

Advantages:

• There is no need to constantly repair or maintain the heater, just brush off the dust with a cloth. They consume only 2 kW per hour, which makes them quite economical. The heater is available to everyone, its low price quickly attracts buyers.

• It warms up longer than others, but it retains heat very well. In the absence of heating in the house, it maintains the optimum temperature in the room, because the automatic on and off system works.
• It is advisable to purchase an oil heater with a fan, so you warm up the air faster and keep the heat for a very long time.
• A large number of sections has its advantages, if there are 10 of them, then heat transfer will accelerate and the room will be warm even in the worst frosts.

• They have wheels, which means that you can transport the heater to the coldest room without any problems.

• You can save energy with a timer. For example, set a timer half an hour before returning home after guests or work, and upon arrival the apartment will already be warm. Such programming of the heater increases the comfort of use.

Flaws:

• It is impossible to install in a small apartment, as the heater will take up a lot of space.
• You can burn yourself about it, which means that pets and small children should be kept away from the heater, and you should not leave the machine at home with the machine on at all.

• Do not cover with a cloth and try to dry clothes on it, it is very dangerous, and this applies to all models of heaters.
• The oil heater must not be used in damp rooms under any circumstances.
• Lack of oxygen due to burning air, an oil heater burns air, and therefore if you can only breathe freely with pure oxygen, it is not suitable for you. You can buy a special humidifier-air freshener separately, but as mentioned above, moisture is contraindicated. You should not buy two in one, and a heater and a humidifier, such models are not famous for their practicality.

How to choose a heater with a minimum number of disadvantages? It is necessary to look for models that are additionally equipped with an air ionizer.

Convectors - silent heating for apartments

Convectors are absolutely silent devices, except for models with built-in fans. However, if necessary, the fans can be turned off, thereby ensuring silence in the room.

The device of a convector heater, or convector, is not so difficult. All models have, as a rule, a rectangular metal case, inside of which there is a heating element. In modern appliances, a ceramic heater is installed that does not burn oxygen and dust. In the lower part of the case there are holes through which air enters and, heating up, rises, spreading around the room.

The air passes through the heating elements and the room becomes warm. The air circulates both cold and warm, that is, the heated cold air goes up and is replaced again by cold air. A similar process continues throughout the operation of the convector. It should be noted that the air heats up moderately, and the heating element occupies a large area.

It is advisable to install it lower so that it works even more efficiently. Models are both floor and wall, so there is plenty to choose from. The most attractive are convectors with a timer - the ability to program the heater on and off.

Convectors are available for wall or floor placement, while trying to choose a place that is at the level of radiators. Compact devices fit perfectly into the interior, without particularly violating its integrity.

These heaters also have a temperature control function. Models can be equipped with an electronic or bimetallic thermostat that allows you to maintain heat in the room at a given temperature level. It is clear that the best heater for an apartment is one that is equipped with an electronic thermostat that is graduated in degrees Celsius. After all, this allows you to set the exact value of the air temperature. In bimetallic thermostats, graduation is presented in arbitrary units.

The appliances are protected against overheating by an automatic switch-off function, which is also triggered if the floor convector accidentally tips over and a foreign object hits it. Heating also takes place in slow mode, but then a comfortable temperature is maintained in the room for a long period of time.

Many consumers do not know which bathroom heater is best to choose in order to ensure its safe operation at high humidity levels. Manufacturers took this moment into account and released for rooms with high humidity, which undoubtedly includes the bathroom, special models with a waterproof case.

Of particular interest to consumers are film convector heaters, placed on the wall and taking up very little space. It is convenient to store such heating devices by rolling them up after the season and putting them in the pantry on the far shelf. For local heating of a specific place, film convectors are placed in close proximity to it. To heat the entire room, the device is suspended near the door or windows, blocking the flow of cold air into the room.

Pros:

• The air stays clean because it heats up with a temperature of 60 degrees Celsius. The case does not overheat and the risk of fire is reduced to zero.
• It is very easy to move due to the wheels, besides, it can be hung on any wall. The efficiency of the convector is 99%, and it heats up the room incredibly quickly.

• There is a timer, you can program the inclusion at a convenient time for yourself.
• The small size makes it suitable for installation in small apartments.
• It is also possible to combine the heater with an electric heating system. Reduces the risk of exacerbations of asthma and other respiratory diseases, because it does not burn oxygen.

• The undoubted advantage of convectors over oil heaters is the safety of touching their surface, because it does not heat up above 90 degrees.This equipment also wins in the consumption of electricity, which is minimal, and the effect is maximum.

It makes no sense to talk about the shortcomings, this device simply has no cons.

Thermal curtains

They are placed in window and door openings to prevent cold air from entering the room, and warm air from leaking out of it, and at the same time control the temperature. They create an airflow directed from top to bottom, and thereby separate zones with different temperatures from each other, reduce drafts and prevent dust and insects from entering the office or shop floor.

Thermal curtains are usually placed near doors, windows or gates, but it is quite possible to heat a small room with them.

To choose the right thermal curtain, you need to know exactly the width and height of the openings. They must exactly match the width and height of the curtain in order to eliminate annoying accidents like a gap into which cold air will blow from the street. The minimum height of the thermal curtain is from 1 to 2.5 meters, the maximum height is from 1 to 4 meters.

Typically, thermal curtains are installed horizontally above a door or window opening. For special cases, there are models with vertical installation on the side of the opening. If you want to change the position of the curtain, then you need to buy a device that can be placed both horizontally and vertically.

Thermal curtains can be used in summer to keep the air cool in the room.
There are thermal curtains with the so-called "stitch" element. It consists of a dielectric tape, stitched on both sides with a chrome-nickel helix. Such air curtains are more reliable than conventional ones (with a heating element), cheap, durable, economical and have a good heating rate.

Fan heaters - the fastest way to heat

“The compactness of some models of fan heaters allows them to be placed even on a table, creating a comfort zone in the workplace”

The main task of household fan heaters is to quickly heat the air in rooms with a small area. The devices do an excellent job with this task, and therefore are very popular among buyers.

How are heaters arranged? A heating element made of metal, ceramic or cermet is located in a housing, which is most often made of plastic. There are also devices with a metal case. The fan is located behind the heating element, which allows it to direct air to it, after which the heated air flow spreads throughout the room. When the heating function is disabled, the appliance can be used as a normal fan.

The compactness of some models of fan heaters allows you to place them even on the table, creating a comfort zone in the workplace. Manufacturers also produce devices for placement on the floor or on the wall. At the same time, the buyer can decide for himself which heater to choose for the house, based on the purpose of its use.

In modern heaters of this type, several power modes are provided, as well as the ability to control the heating temperature. Models that use an electronic control system are equipped with a remote control. It should be noted that the above types of heaters can be controlled remotely, which, of course, is convenient in everyday life.

Some models of thermal fans are equipped with a built-in rotary mechanism, which contributes to a better distribution of warm air throughout the room, accelerating its heating.

Advantages:

• In small rooms, they work very well, but such heating cannot be called heating.
• At the beginning of cold weather, it may help, it will quickly dry clothes in the bathroom and warm your cold feet in the office.
• It takes up little space and is very easy to use, so you can put the fan in small rooms.

• The fan heater turns off after a fall, there is a function of turning it off and on in automatic mode.
• It does not burn and heats the air only to a temperature of 40 degrees, and therefore it is almost impossible to get burned on it.

• There are table, floor and wall fans, so you can choose a fan for all occasions.

Flaws:

• Dry and burn pure oxygen, this is one of the main disadvantages. Moreover, the fan raises all the dust from the floor into the air, and it gets not only into the lungs, but also into the fan itself, and this threatens with a terrible smell throughout the apartment.

• Most models make a lot of noise during operation, which is very annoying and annoying. You can look for models with a low noise level, but still, it's not worth it.

back to index ↑

Features of infrared heaters

Consumers are still wary of infrared heaters that have appeared on the market relatively recently. Meanwhile, these devices are devoid of all the shortcomings inherent in other types of heaters. The principle of operation of these devices is based on heating not the air, but objects, which then give off heat to the surrounding space.

Inside the heater there is a special quartz bulb and a tungsten filament, and outside the metal casing there is a reflector. When the heater is turned on, the filament becomes hot and spreads heat, namely infrared waves. The principle of operation is to heat the skin and surfaces of objects, and not to heat the cold air in the room.

A huge advantage is that such models can be installed in large shopping centers and factories, where a conventional heater is not able to heat the air really efficiently. The heater is not afraid of a draft, because it still warms a person.

Great for the bathroom, considered the best model for the bathroom.

Infrared heaters:

• fireproof;

• completely silent;
• do not dry the air;
• quickly provide the necessary microclimate;
• energy efficient;
• placed anywhere in the room (ceiling, floor, walls).

When buying infrared heaters, you should beware of fakes, mainly supplied from the Middle Kingdom. It is necessary to give preference to well-known manufacturers. The origin of the goods must be confirmed by relevant documents.

Carbon heater

This is a completely new model in the market of heaters. They work in much the same way as conventional quartz heaters, the only difference is that a carbon carbon coil is involved in the work, and not a quartz lamp.

Positive qualities and disadvantages are identical to infrared heaters, but the efficiency and power of heating is much higher. In fact, the carbon spiral emits waves much more intensively, but at the same time it consumes much less energy than IR heaters.If you look at the statistics, you can say that it saves 25% more energy and works 200% more efficiently than oil heaters.

What is most surprising is that the cost of carbon heaters is the same as for other types of heaters, although the performance is much better.

back to index ↑

Conclusion

Consumers who know how to choose a heater for an apartment do not make hasty decisions. First, they carefully study the existing offer in various outlets of the city and online stores, and then make a conscious purchase.

Video

---